


Of Laptops, Chaos and Irritating Professors

by Unofficial_Spiderman (Written_prose_things)



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: College AU, M/M, Parkner Week, Pre-Slash, Rich Peter, frat boy Harley, nosy Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25685116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Written_prose_things/pseuds/Unofficial_Spiderman
Summary: Harley meets Peter on his first day of college. Peter wants to be friends, but Harley is extremely busy focusing on his research paper, scholarships and extra-curricular work, to pay him any attention.That is, until Professor Stark pairs them up for the research project.Harley realises that Peter isn't as bad as he seems.
Relationships: Harley Keener/Peter Parker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51





	Of Laptops, Chaos and Irritating Professors

Harley walked to class with a warm cup of coffee in his hands. His mind was whirring with thousands of thoughts on his first day of college. 

Harley wondered if all his classmates felt weird, waking up in an unknown bed. Or was he the only one feeling out of place? 

Though Harley didn’t want to focus on it, Harley knew that he was quite different from his classmates. The bed he’d woken up in, at the frat house was much bigger than the bed he had shared with Abby as a kid. 

Harley sighed. Joining the frat had been the last thing he had wanted, but it had been the easiest way to cut down on accommodation charges. He didn’t want to be associated with the constant partying lifestyle of frats, but such was his life. 

Harley stared at the building in front of him and took a deep breath. He dropped his empty cup in a trash can and walked in. This building was in the easternmost area of the campus, where his Introductory Dynamical Theory class would be held. 

Harley tried to regulate his breathing as he walked towards room 208, He had no reason to be scared, he had gone over the course outline a week ago.   
  


Professor Anthony Stark was teaching this course. Hw was one of the most renowned mathematicians in the world. 

Harley opened the door slowly, peeking his head in. The class was mostly empty, a few students sat scattered around the room, busy staring into their phones or laptops. 

Harley took a seat in the relative front of the class and sat down, pulling out his laptop. 

Slowly, students began to trickle into the class. Harley kept his head down and stared at his laptop screen, a grainy photo of Abby grinning, with her crooked teeth smiled back at him. 

They had taken the photo when she had won a blue ribbon at the science fair. Abby had claimed that she was going to become a scientist like him. 

Harley was pulled out of his thoughts when a boy sat down next to him. Harley looked at the seats around him, which were all empty. Why did this boy sit next to him?

Against his better judgement, Harley turned to look at the boy. He was wearing brown trousers, a formal white shirt and a fluffy sweater with broad blue and green stripes. 

It was the first class of the day, but the collar of the boy’s shirt was crumpled and the cuffs of his shirt were unbuttoned and poking out of his sweater. 

The boy maintained their awkward eye contact as he took an obnoxious bite out of the green apple he was carrying. Harley stared at the boy, with his mouth hanging open, hoping that his blush wasn’t visible. 

The boy then wiped his lips on his sweater’s arm, and Harley was grossed out of his stupor. 

The boy swallowed his bite and extended his hand, “Peter. Peter Parker.”

Harley nodded jerkily, ignoring the boy’s hand, and faced his laptop again. The boy, _Peter_ , nudged Harley in the ribs and said, “Usually, people introduce themselves in return.”

Harley barely suppressed the urge to wipe his shirt, where Peter had touched it; He only had a few clothes and didn’t want them to get apple stains.

Harley replied, “No thanks.” 

Peter laughed, “That’s a unique name. Who chose it?”

Harley rolled his eyes. Before Peter could pester him more, Professor Stark walked in. 

It was a strange experience for Harley to see the man outside a photo on the cover of a book. Harley attributed the feeling mostly to the fact that the professor had walked into class wearing jeans and a faded AC/DC shirt, with questionable marks on his face and arms. 

Harley hadn’t been to any other class yet, but he assumed that this wasn’t the normal attire for a teacher.

Due to the professors unexpected attire, it took a moment for the class to notice him. Then a hush fell over the class. 

The professor studied them all as he leaned his back against his table, his arms crossed over his chest. 

He spoke as he gave them a once-over, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be late for our first class, but I got busy in the lab.”

Harley discreetly checked his watch as the professor spoke, “Anyway, let’s begin. This is Introduction to Dynamical Theory, I’m your professor. You can call me Tony.”

Harley realised that their professor, _Tony_ , was almost 15 minutes late. 

“I assume all of you have made yourselves familiar with the course material...” Tony asked an open-ended question. 

After receiving a vague affirmative from the class, Tony continued, “Very well.”

He turned around and walked to the board, on which he wrote in block letters, “Birkinhoff Research Team”. 

He faced them again and clapped his hands once to gain the attention of the few students who’s focus had wandered. 

“The mathematics department has started a new research team this academic year, we will be taking on grad students as assistants. Which means all you have a chance. To be eligible for the position, you will have to submit a research report on one topic from our course work of this semester.”

The entire class erupted into excited whispers.

Harley wanted this badly. Working with Anthony Stark on a research project, even if as an assistant. He was going to get this. His eyes travelled subconsciously to the last topic in their course work, The Bifurcation Theory.

\--x--

Harley walks into the library with purpose at the end of the day’s classes, his mind working over the different ways in which he can study The Choas Theory. He picks out all the books he thinks are necessary and sits down on a table in a secluded area of the library. 

He starts opening the required pages in each book as his laptop switches on. A person blocks the light in front of him. Harley looks up from his book. 

Peter Parker. 

Harley rolls his eyes, “What do you want?”

Peter shrugs, “Your name.”

Harley squints at him, when Peter moves a little, and the light hits Harley’s eyes, “Why?”

Peter rests his hands on Harley’s table and leans across, “Because I want to be friends.”

Harley huffs, “No thanks.”

Peter looks a little unnerved which makes Harley feel quite content.

But the satisfaction evaporates when Peter walks around the table and sits down in the seat next to him. 

“What are you doing?” Harley asks shortly. 

Peter shrugs, “Studying.”

Harley groans and turns back to his laptop, to start writing. In his frustration, he gets easily irritated with his slow laptop. He clicks on his folder multiple times, as expected, the laptop hangs and promptly shuts down. 

Harley rubs his temples with both his hands. His laptop is old and needs patience. Harley tries to calm down. 

Peter’s presence doesn’t help. He whispers from next to Harley, “Oof, that’ rough buddy. Where’d you even get this laptop?”

Harley ignores Peter, which turns out, is worse than responding to him. Peter takes his lack of response as an invitation to poke around with the laptop. 

Peter mumbles, “I could use some of its parts for my mechanics class.”

Harley whisks the laptop away from Peter, “Stay away from it. I know you rich kids don’t understand, but this is the only thing I can afford. Leave me alone.”

Without waiting for Peter’s response, Harley hauls his bag onto his shoulder and walks out of the library, leaving him to clean up the table and put the books away. 

\--x--

Over the next month, Harley fixes his routine. He does his work in the house, according to the chart, every morning. The heads to his classes or the library, before meeting his study group at lunchtime and finally spends an hour every alternate day, tutoring his classmates. 

He strikes up a tentative friendship with the boys at his frat house and even talks to a few of his classmates. Part of his routine also includes interacting with Peter Parker, despite his best efforts. As it turns out, they share a lot of the same classes.

Monday morning, when Harley walks into class, Peter is already seated in the front of the class. Harley hopes that the shorter boy doesn't try to strike up a conversation. But his pleas are ignored by the gods above.

Peter grins at him, "What's got you in such a lovely mood today?"

Harley rolls his eyes and sits down, a couple of seats behind the aggravating boy. But on this day, with none of his friends around, Peter is bored enough to pursue Harley. 

"No, seriously. At first, I thought you weren't a morning person, but how do you manage to maintain this shitty mood throughout the day?"

Harley is saved from answering when Tony walks into class, on time for once.

As it turns out, Anthony Stark is quite a weird teacher. He is always sleep-deprived and his erratic, coffee-induced behaviour is always the talk of the physics department. He regularly asks them to meet him in the lawns for classes.

"Alright, children," Tony says patronisingly, "I had asked for an overview of your research this weekend. And I realised, that quite a few of you have similar topics. So, I'm going to group all of you who have similar areas of focus."

Harley rolls his eyes. Great, a group project is exactly what he needs.

He hears Peter say in the front, "Oh great."  
Of course, he's excited. Rich kids like Peter, who get in through donations, are more interested in making friends than they are in studying. 

Tony claps his hands to gain their attention and says, "So the groups are..."

Harley watches as his classmates get grouped. Their excitement is palpable. Against his better judgement, Harley wonders how cool it would be if, he were able to make friends through this project. 

His hopes get dashed before he can even properly start day-dreaming. 

Tony adds, "Harley Keener on Bifurcation Theory with..." Tony scans his list, "Peter Parker." 

For his part, Peter looks a little less enthusiastic at having been partnered with him. 

\--x--

Harley opens the door when the doorbell rings at their decided time. Peter smiles at him, "I didn't think you'd be a frat boy!"

Harley winces at his volume. Peter's lesser enthusiasm is still quite a lot for Harley to stomach. 

Harley steps aside and lets Peter in. Outside, the sky rumbles. The rain has been sparse throughout the day, but the humidity is awful. 

They walk into the house, Peter stopping to say hi to almost every housemate of Harley's. 

When they finally reach Harley's room, Peter plops down on his bed, making himself very comfortable. 

Harley closes the door and Peter quips, "Hey, I didn't get the memo for bedroom activities."

Harley turns around to see Peter wiggling his eyebrows, he scoffs, "Shut up."

Peter sighs, "Look I know that you aren't very fond of me, but we have to get this project done."

Harley feels uncomfortable at such honesty from Peter.

He pulls out his laptop and sits down on the bed next to Peter. Peter comments abruptly, "I didn't mean to make fun of your laptop. Sorry about it."

Harley nods. Peter's genuine comments are making him feel weird.

\--x--

Harley and Peter spend the next few hours from lunch to dinner on their project, eating ramen, typing on their laptops, pulling out different reference articles and such. 

Harley realises that Peter isn't exactly like he had assumed. The boy is whip-smart, quick enough to pick up the half-baked ideas Harley thinks of.

Of course, Peter is still snarky, over-enthusiastic jokester. Harley has to keep drawing the conversation back to their research at hand from whichever pokemon Peter starts ranting about. 

As they finally finish outlining their draft, Harley's stomach rumbles. Peter checks his watch, "It's just 10, we can finish touching this up."

Harley grumbles, "No."

Peter looks up from his screen, a smile on his face, "Have I found your weakness, Harls?"

Harley rolls his eyes at the nickname. Peter's smile widens, "I think I'm going to stay."

Harley glares at him, "I have to sleep, go away."

Peter laughs, "Make me."

This is the easiest choice Harley has ever had to make. In under 4 minutes, Harley has dragged the shorter boy to the door of their frat. Each step he takes to the door brings him closer to the solitude he wants.

As expected, Harley's hopes go down the gutter when he opens the door. It's raining. The part of the pathway in front of the house, visible in the light of the porch, is submerged in water.

Peter looks at him. Harley averts his eyes from the shorter boy's face. He didn't know Peter could pull off such a good kicked puppy expression. 

Peter whispers, "Don't make me go..."

Harley chances a glance at Peter's face. Peter uses the opportunity to lay on even more guilt, "I'm really small and have no money."

Harley rolls his eyes but lets go of Peter's hoodie. 

The change in the shorter boy's mood makes Harley's head spin.

In a moment, Peter is running back up the stairs, whooping. 

Harley walks to the kitchen and picks up whatever's left in the fridge before following Peter.

When Harley enters his room, Peter is already lying star-fished on his bed.

Harley sets down his food on the bedside table and shoves Peter out of the bed. Peter lets out a terrible groan, but Harley assures himself that the carpeted floor would have broken his fall. Just in case, he throws Peter two pillows and a blanket.

Maybe Peter isn't as bad as he seems...

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a comment if you liked this fic, I'd love it. Thanks a lot.


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